


The Disturbance

by Sashataakheru



Series: The Disturbance Universe [1]
Category: Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Move RPS
Genre: 1960s, Community: spook_me, Drug Use, Horror, M/M, Transgender, Werewolves, Zombie AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-08
Updated: 2011-10-08
Packaged: 2017-10-10 02:23:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/94379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sashataakheru/pseuds/Sashataakheru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's late 1967, and The Move are in the middle of a package tour with Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd, amongst a host of other bands. Arriving in Cardiff for yet another show, nothing seems out of place until later on in the evening, when the clouds turn ugly and things go very, very wrong.</p><p>*** All chapters/complete work revised 8/10/2011 ***</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Disturbance

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually going to be one of my lgbtfest fics, but as you can see, it descended into zombies. So, er, I had to rewrite it from scratch, but I kept this version because I rather like it a lot anyway. :D

_November 23rd, 1967, Cardiff Castle, Cardiff, Wales_  
The coach lurched to a halt, and Roy found himself jolted awake. With the curtains drawn in the coach to allow hung over musicians to sleep, they could've been anywhere. Taking a moment to wake up, he gingerly pushed the curtain aside to see where they might be. He saw a high stone wall. Looking up further, he saw turrets. Had they arrived at some sort of castle? Since when were they gigging at some castle?

He couldn't remember when that particular decision had been made, and with no answer forthcoming, he let the curtain fall back again and curled up against the seat. Getting up would mean going outside. In the sunshine, or what counted as sunshine at this time of year. It seemed a bit much right at that very moment.

Then someone threw a cushion at him. Sitting up properly, he looked around to see who might've thrown it. Bev was sat a couple of rows down from him on the other side of the coach, and Roy thought he looked far too cheerful.

"Alright, alright, I'm awake. Where are we anyway? Camelot?"

"Bloody Wales, that's where. Get off your arse. We're late and we've got things to do," Bev said.

"Wales, eh? Close enough then," Roy said as he got up.

Outside wasn't much better. It might've been cold and dreary, but all that light hardly helped Roy's mood. He wasn't awake enough to see the puddle on the footpath in front of the coach and stepped right into it, much to everyone else's amusement.

He stood there a moment, shocked by the freezing water, before stepping out of the puddle, shaking the water off as best he could. He'd have to change. Like it was going to dry in this weather. “That right there? Not what I needed right now.”

Bev, who had been standing in the doorway of the coach, made a show of avoiding the puddle as he jumped over it and landed beside Roy. He clapped him round the shoulders and ruffled his hair. Roy brushed him off playfully, trying not to get too agitated.

"Someone had to get you up. Be thankful it wasn't Carl. Come on, we got gear to haul.”

* * *

The stage had already been constructed in front of the castle by some industrious unknowns, which made the job of setting up a lot simpler. Roy had forgotten quite when they'd decided this particular gig was being played in the middle of an old castle, especially as they'd toned down their act somewhat to make it more appealing to the stoners and hippies that had turned up so far, but he figured Secunda had his reasons, seeing some of the smoke machines and other equipment being tested. It looked like it would be an epic show at any rate, if the sight of Carl lingering by the stage with that infamous axe by his side was anything to go by. Shit. Roy hadn't seen that axe for six months, and thought he'd never see it again. Things were going to get crazy.

They were barely halfway through the tour and already Roy was tired. He wasn't surprised he'd lost track of where they were. Life on the road so far consisted of getting to the venue, doing the two gigs, finding a pub, getting trashed, and staggering back to the coaches. And if the coaches weren't there, then there was a frantic search for a bus while hoping someone remembered where they were supposed to be heading. It was like one long hangover with small moments of respite. Perhaps he should stop drinking.

* * *

An hour later, Roy finally found a moment to slip away to change his now stiff and damp trousers. Rummaging around in his case, he found a pair he'd only worn twice. Slipping his trousers off, he hung them over the back of the nearest seat. Glancing down at his shoes, he realised he'd have to change them as well. They'd need to be cleaned properly before he wore them again, though he wasn't sure when he'd find the time, at least not until they'd finished this current run of shows and got a few days off.

As he straightened, pulling his clean trousers up, a pair of arms closed around his waist. Roy glanced over his shoulder to see Bev smiling down at him.

"I see I've caught you with your trousers down," Bev said, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"Not now, later, after the shows," Roy protested as Bev began pressing soft kisses to the back of his neck.

Bev turned him round and kissed him, a hand slipping inside his trousers. Roy thought about stopping him, but it was hardly unpleasant. Being barefoot, however, made Roy feel even shorter than normal. Bev towered over him anyway, but that was hardly the point.

"You slept through Stonehenge, you know," Bev said almost cheerfully.

Roy gave him a confused look. "Wait. We stopped at Stonehenge? Why did we stop at Stonehenge?"

Bev didn't reply immediately; he was busy shifting Roy to the back of the coach. Sprawling on the back seat, he pulled Roy down on top of him and kissed him again.

"Yeah, 'sposed to be a shortcut or something, and some of the boys wanted to stop by anyway. There were some druids there dancing around a fire. It was awesome. Said we're free to join them later tonight once the gig's over. They're doing some sort of healing ritual in the old Keep."

Bev was always amused at how much he had to encourage Roy to do anything with him. Roy was always so hesitant but in an adorably sweet manner. Roy gave him a shy smile as he undid his shirt buttons.

"I suppose you're going to drag me off there even if I say no, right? Since when are you interested in druid rituals anyway?"

Bev brushed a hand through his hair and smiled back at him. "Ehh, you never know. Might get you inspired. Maybe write us another hit single."

Roy ignored the jibe and kissed him. Then someone grabbed the back of his shirt collar roughly and dragged him up. Bev made a subtle show of hiding his genitals from view. Sure, Carl might know he was really a girl down there, but that didn't mean he was allowed to see.

"There you are, Woody. Living up to your name, I see. You know I don't care what you do in your spare time, but we got sound check now. Get out there, the both of you," Carl said, giving Bev a particularly pointed look.

To his credit, Bev did try not to laugh too much as Carl let him go and left them to it. Roy scrambled to his feet, pulling his clothes on as best he could without tripping over. Bev sat up and straightened his shirt and his trousers before he got to his feet, grabbed Roy by the arm, and dragged him off the coach and back to the stage.

* * *

There was a strange lull in the air as they waited for the first show to begin. Slowly, people began to file in, filling the grounds before the stage. Roy was with Bev, watching the progress from the castle. They were a couple of storeys up, giving them a nice view across the grounds. The sky was thick with clouds and Roy was sure he'd heard some thunder rumbling through the air. They were sat on the windowseat. They weren't on for a while, so they had some time to themselves. Bev seemed a little distracted as he slowly drank from a brown bottle; Roy couldn't identify the drink he had. Then again, he wasn't sure what he was drinking either, but it was sweet and didn't appear to be alcoholic. Roy broke the silence.

"Do you ever think about settling down?"

Bev turned to look at him and studied his face, wondering what had prompted him to ask. He shrugged and settled back against the wall. "Oh, sure, it's hard to escape that sort of pressure when you're an only child."

"Even though you're-"

"Even more so. But I gotta be extra careful. I mean, you think you've got problems being gay. I mean, you are gay, aren't you? Just the lads were sayin'-"

Roy shifted uncomfortably. "I don't like to talk about it. Had enough shit from people about it. I'd rather just keep to myself, not get arrested, you know? But I do wonder." He fell silent, gazing down at the crowds. "You know you're in trouble when even hippies think you're some sort of sin against nature. Though to be fair, I did bait them a little. Then they baited me right back."

"Nah, I bet you ran off before they could bash you. That's more your style," Bev said. "You sure they were hippies? That doesn't sound very peaceable."

Roy shrugged. "I can't decide if they were just being bastards, if they really hated the band and were taking it out on me, or if they really believed what they were saying. I didn't hang around to ask. Still, it wasn't what I expected from them."

"When was this anyway? I'd have thought you'd have mentioned it by now."

"Bloody Sheffield a week back. I was finding my way back from the pub. Found them chanting in a park somewhere. Shit happens, I suppose."

"Ahh, I wondered where you'd got those bruises. Looked pretty bad, from what I remember," Bev said.

Roy brushed it off. "It looked worse than it was. I'll live."

Bev didn't reply; Roy didn't elaborate. Bev turned and gazed out the window as spatters of rain began to hit the window and a flash of lightning streaked across the darkening sky. Looking down at the crowd, a sea of umbrellas had appeared as people huddled under them, keeping out of the coming storm.

Roy shivered as cold air drifted back from the window. "This is going to be bad, I can just feel it."

Bev glanced at him. He could feel the chill from the window. He didn't reply as he sat there, watching the people below. Roy could predict doom and gloom all he liked. Bev wasn't going to pay any attention to him.

* * *

The storm kept to itself, circling the city like a predator as it waited for the right time to strike. The umbrellas gradually went down and the show proceeded. No one really wanted to call it off, and there were hopes the storm would miss them. Indeed, the first show went off without a hitch, and the storm even backed off a little.

It wasn't until the second show that things started to go awry. The crowd were agitated. The storm had charged the atmosphere and the energy was just sitting there, waiting to be released. There was a little rain, but it didn't feel like it would turn into a torrent without warning. It came and went throughout the night.

Ace, typically, noticed the suits hanging around at the back of the crowd as The Move hit the stage. They were on the outer edge of the crowd and didn't look like they were trying to hide their presence too eagerly. They'd been tailing them all tour, and while they'd never come out and said they were Secret Service, that's what everyone assumed they were. They had never seemed so visible before, as if they were goading them into doing something treasonous again, just to give them an excuse to arrest them.

It had done nothing to ease Ace's paranoia about just about everything, and he'd been more difficult than usual. Trevor had given up trying to deal with him and just left him be. To Ace's credit, he hadn't managed to get left behind yet, but as long as he was up there playing like he was supposed to be, no one could find the heart to criticise. He wasn't completely mad, not yet. Maybe he'd be alright. Pretending he wasn't going mad was easier than facing up to what was really happening to him.

Roy glanced over at Ace as he whispered to Trevor. He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but Ace was clearly worried about something as he kept looking back at the suits as they talked. That bad feeling Roy felt before the first show came back. Surely they weren't planning something, not while they were being watched so closely. He turned behind to look at Bev, who was paying them no attention. Maybe there was nothing to worry about. Maybe nothing bad would happen after all.

* * *

Roy wasn't sure what had started it. Their set had been fairly uneventful so far, albeit interspersed with lightning strikes, some hitting rather close. The rain grew more persistent, yet it fell no heavier. Roy was quite sure he would be okay once the show was over and he was somewhere dry and warm. He was trying to ignore the dark red tinge the clouds had acquired.

There was a flash of lightning and the ground shook. No one had seen what was crawling out from the ground until it was too late. They started at the back and the band didn't notice what was going on until they'd reached the stage.

Certainly Roy hadn't noticed either. When he looked back towards the rest of the band, he was more than a little surprised to see Carl swinging that notorious axe of his at someone's head as they climbed up on the stage. Roy looked away in horror, trying to ignore the loud thud as the now-separated head and body hit the stage. Then someone grabbed his arm and dragged him away. The guitar lead unplugged itself with a ping and fell back to the stage.

Whoever had his arm yelled, "Leave it, man, we gotta run!"

One look at the zombies attempting to clamber up towards them made Roy decide that running for his life was a very good idea.

* * *

They managed to get under the cover of the old castle just before it really started to rain. The grounds were becoming a mud pit as people fled in all directions. Roy found himself dragged into a small alcove right before a group of people ran past. An arm wrapped around his chest from behind and a hand covered his mouth. Roy tried to break free, but whoever was with him whispered harshly in his ear.

"Calm the fuck down, I'm trying to stop you getting killed."

Roy settled, though he was still held tightly. They were hidden in shadow, down the corridor far enough that they couldn't be seen, and Roy watched helplessly as people ran past. He still wasn't sure just what had happened. He could hear people screaming. That it was loud enough to be heard over the storm was not comforting.

Roy wasn't let go until they were completely alone. Taking a moment to settle his breathing, he realised he still had his guitar with him. Somehow he'd forgotten to get rid of it as he was dragged away. He slipped it over his head and leant it against the wall. He turned to see who was with him and couldn't work out whose face he could see in the darkness.

"What the fuck's going on? Who are you?" Roy said, staring into the darkness as if it would elicit answers.

Taking a step forward, Roy was finally able to recognise Carl's face as he glared at him. "You nearly got us killed, that's what. Didn't you see them? The zombies? Fucking mental."

Roy wasn't sure what was going on. He was quite sure he was not high, which would have at least excused the horror, assuming that's what being high was even like. He didn't know; he'd never tried drugs, in spite of the rumours. But everything seemed too incredible to be real. He glanced down at the axe Carl was holding. He could see blood staining the blade. Real blood.

"I don't - I don't even know what happened. What happened? One moment, everything was fine, the next, this happens. What the fuck's going on?"

There was a scream and people shouting. Roy fell silent without hesitation and sunk back against the wall as another group of people ran past. They were followed by a group of zombies, shuffling persistently behind. Neither spoke til they were alone again.

"Charlie, please, tell me what's going on. We're not going to stay here all night, are we?"

Carl glanced at him. "Not if I can help it. Now grab that bloody guitar of yours and let’s get moving. I don't like waiting for trouble to come."

As they waited for the right moment to run for cover, Roy noticed the axe again. Carl held it loosely by his side. Roy looked up at him. For the first time in his life, Carl looked genuinely scared.

"We don't have to leave, you know. We... We could just stay here. It's safe here," Roy said.

The look Carl gave him told him all he needed to know. They would go out there. With the... zombies. And they would try to stay alive. Certainly it put his biggest fears of being caught being intimate with another man into perspective, especially as he was still underage according to the law. Thinking of Bev, who he'd been with for a few months now, Roy hoped to God he was okay. He hadn't seen where he'd gone and the last thing he wanted was for him to become zombie food.

* * *

Bev had seen the zombies coming and had fled the stage first. Deciding the forest might be easier to hide in, he headed around to the gate into the forest, hoping no one would see him. He was wrong, and soon there was a large group fleeing with him as zombies followed behind them, moaning after them as if desperately begging them to slow down.

Bev found himself overtaken, and at one point, pushed face first into a tree, as people hurried to safety. Dazed and confused, and wondering what he should do, he turned to the on-coming crowd and saw a familiar face running towards him. Bev had never seen Ace so hysterically terrified before, and the bleeding scratches on his body were not entirely reassuring. Ace flung himself into Bev's arms, holding him tightly as he sobbed against his shoulder.

"You alright, Ace? Where's Trevor?" Bev said.

"They-they got him. I think. I lost him in the crowd," Ace murmured.

Bev looked past him. Most of the crowd had passed them; the only things left were the zombies, and they came over the rise together, gazing hungrily at them.

"Ace, shit, man, we gotta get out of here," Bev said, trying to get him to move.

Ace clung to him, refusing to move. Unable to move.

"Ahh, come on, man, I'm not leaving you here," Bev said as he picked him up as best he could and carried him out of the way.

* * *

Bev and Ace took refuge in a gazebo in the park. It sat by the river and was partially hidden by trees. Figuring it might be better than being out in the open, it would do until they could find somewhere else to hide. Bev sat Ace on one of the benches. He was still staring off into space, abject terror filling his eyes.

"This ain't just my mind, is it? This is all real. All them... zombies and whatnot. It's all real and we're going to die," Ace murmured.

Bev sat beside him and brought him into his arms. "Shh, it'll be alright. We'll get out of here, one way or another."

Ace clutched onto him, his mind broken. All the acid in the world could not make those zombies disappear and he had no idea how to cope with that. Bev rubbed his back gently, trying to calm him. They wouldn't be moving from here any time soon unless Bev left him behind, and in spite of his previous lack of sympathy for his acid-induced plight, he wasn't sure he could do that now. Things were different when there were zombies about.

* * *

Roy wasn't looking forward to going out in the rain, but apparently he had no choice in the matter. They left the castle, skirting down the street towards the park. Roy was not expecting to see such a chaotic sight. It really did look like a war zone. Part of the park was on fire, some of the buildings had been damaged, and police were beginning to file in, trying to restore order.

He had stopped looking at the sky; it had glowed an angry red every time he looked at it and he could've sworn he'd seen some sort of eyes in there. This was all a very bad dream. It had to be. Someone had slipped him something and he was just imagining the horror that he could see all around him. That had to be it.

* * *

Trevor had climbed a tree. It had seemed like a reasonable idea at the time as he was chased through the forest. He hadn't come down yet, though. There were bodies strewn all over the place, and he had already seen more than one come back to life and start staggering through the forest as if they were still alive. No way in Hell was he coming down while bodies could still come to life.

He'd already beaten off a couple who had tried to grab at him from the ground. Hitting them hard enough with a tree branch had seen them off, but he was sure it wouldn't be the last. He felt too exposed. He didn't know where else to go. Where else could he go? If those zombies had overrun the city, nowhere was safe.

He'd lost Ace as well. He could've sworn Ace was right behind him as they'd fled into the forest, but somehow, they'd been separated. He hadn't seen his body anywhere, which wasn't as comforting as he'd thought it would be. He wasn't sure Ace was capable of outrunning zombies anyway. He didn't think he had that much sanity left.

The rain was beginning to take its toll on him. The tree offered little protection against the chill and the rain, but he still didn't feel safe getting down just yet. He huddled against the trunk as best he could, hoping he wouldn't freeze to death in a fucking tree. What a pathetic way to go. Maybe he'd chance it in a while, when he felt like his chances of not immediately being eaten by a zombie were a bit higher.

Turned out he didn't have to wait. As the storm worsened, the tree flung him out onto the ground as the wind battered it about like a leaf. He'd fallen face first into the mud and it took some effort to get to this feet. Unsure exactly where he was going, he headed back through the trees, still clutching a tree branch for protection, hoping he'd get out alive.

When he saw the walls of the castle rising up before him, he almost turned and headed back the other way, but the chance of finding shelter in the castle was not one to miss out on. Braving the possibility of zombies still being around, he headed back around to the gate. He never made it. It was the last thing he'd remember before something hard collided with his head and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Roy had, eventually, found the desperate courage he needed to fight back as they'd made their way through the streets. Sure, he was ruining his favourite guitar, but he decided that probably didn't matter when zombies were trying to eat your brains. While he still wasn't as strong or as effective as Carl with his axe, he'd managed to take out quite a few zombies now. It turned out that guitars were actually quite good for smashing brains in and he'd almost found a good rhythm.

They'd left the streets and headed into the park. Carl was still looking for somewhere safe to hide and the park was looking more and more like a cemetery. Bodies - both of victims and zombies - littered the grass, and there was no one else around. The zombies had moved on. They stopped and surveyed the park, looking for shelter.

"Over there, that little gazebo. It's not much but at least it'd be out of the sodding rain," Carl said as the rain intensified.

"You're clearing any bodies we find, though," Roy said.

"Bloody coward," Carl murmured as he set off.

Roy was both surprised and relieved to find Bev and Ace huddling in the gazebo. He hadn't really paid much thought to their whereabouts, but he was glad they had survived. Many had not been so lucky. Roy dropped the guitar and ran to Bev's side, bringing him into a grateful kiss.

"I'm so glad you made it. I was - I don't even know what's going on out there. You're not hurt are you?" Roy said, noticing the blood on Bev's clothes.

"I'm fine, but Ace isn't. I think he got attacked, and his mind's shut down. No way is he going anywhere," Bev said.

Carl stood back, shouldering the axe in case it was needed. "Did Trevor make it?"

Bev looked up at him. "Ace said he got lost in the crowd. Maybe they did get him."

"Shit."

Carl turned and looked out at the park. A flash of lightning caught the bloodied axe blade. The storm didn't look like it was dissipating any time soon.


	2. Fields Of People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn rises. Those still alive begin to survey the damage and find somewhere safe to go to escape from the horror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for spook_me 2010.
> 
> I hadn't actually planned for this to be a multipart series, but it seems my muses have other ideas. We'll see if I get this finished. XD

_November 24th, 1967, Bute Park near Cardiff Castle, Cardiff, Wales_  
It had been a very long night. Sheltered in the little gazebo, the storm had raged around them and no one had managed any sleep. Ace had not made a sound and refused to move. Carl kept watch, trying to keep their hopes up. Trevor was still missing, presumed dead. Roy hadn’t dared close his eyes in case something tried to attack. The bodies still lying dead all over the park didn’t help either, but the storm meant it was better to stay put than move.

Tired, cold and hungry, the calm stillness of dawn seemed to signal the moment to escape and see if anyone was still left alive. The sun shining through the gloomy clouds was too weak to get rid of the chill in the air and there was a fine mist still clinging to the ground. A low rumble of thunder reminded them of its presence every so often, as if anticipating more horror to come.

Roy glanced over at Carl wiping the axe blade clean as he watched the corpses to see if any might begin to come after them. Carl seemed anxious, restless. It all seemed so much more terrible now that there was some light about. The blood-stained grass was littered with decaying corpses. A few trees had lost branches and some had even fallen over. On the street above them, some of the buildings had broken windows, doors ripped from their hinges, and cars lay smashed and ruined.

Carl turned to look at Ace, who was still cradled in Bev’s arms. “How’s he doing then?”

“Still alive, but I can’t carry him forever. We’re gonna need to find somewhere safe. He needs to be warm and dry, we all do, and we need to eat,” Bev replied.

Ace knew they were talking about him, he could still hear what they said, but no matter how much he willed himself to speak, he just couldn’t do it. His body was broken. His mind was shattered. All he could do was cling to Bev and hope he would be safe. He desperately wanted Trevor, he knew how to calm him, but Trevor had been eaten, trampled to death in the crowd, and he was never coming back as far as Ace was concerned. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping it would remove the sight of the corpses.

“Yeah, working on it, alright? Any of you know your way around Cardiff? Fucked if I know where anything is around here,” Carl said.

“Even if any of us did, it wouldn’t be much help now. What’s even left out there?" Bev said.

"Won't know til we get out there, I suspect. Come on, we'd better get moving," Carl said.

None of them particularly wanted to leave, but there wasn't much choice left. Carl had his axe ready, Roy tried to look brave, and Bev made sure Ace was comfortable in his arms. With one last glance behind them, they set off.

* * *

_Castle Street, Cardiff_  
The streets were eerily silent. The city looked unrecognisable. The police who'd been around the night before trying to bring things to order had fled, or vanished, or been killed, their corpses scattered amongst the rest. Only the foolish remained in the city now. Cars had been smashed and overturned. Some had crashed into each other as people had tried to escape. Some had been burnt. Even the tour buses had been overturned and set alight. There was still smoke drifting across the street from the smouldering ruins. It barely disguised the stench of rotting flesh.

The hotel on the corner had taken heavy damage and looked like it had been trashed by a rampaging mob. The adjacent buildings had not fared much better. Further down towards the river, an uprooted tree lay across the bridge. The road was effectively blocked, and there was no way to see if it was any safer on the other side. A dull explosion rang out from the hotel, and a shattering of glass filled the air. Everyone turned to look and saw a shadowy figure sprinting down the road away from them.

"I think we should go this way," Carl said, heading towards the felled tree and the bridge that lay in the opposite direction.

"I think that's a bloody good idea," Bev said, seeing a few more figures emerging from the hotel. "Here's hoping they don't see us."

"Let's get a move on and not give them a chance, hey? I'm sure we can squeeze past the branches," Carl said.

The tree had crushed the stone wall that surrounded the park and had it been taller, would've crushed the bridge railing on the other side of the road. With a bit of manoeuvring, it was possible for them all to get past the branches and get to the other side of the bridge. An explosion rang out again, closer than before. Carl glanced back, seeing if they were being followed.

"I don't think they're all dead. We need to run," Carl said as he spotted some zombies shuffling down the street.

Ace clung to Bev tightly, wishing it were all over. Roy took one look at the oncoming group and led the way down the street, Bev and Carl not far behind him. He hoped he'd find somewhere to shelter that wasn't about to be infested with zombies.

Roy kept running until he stopped outside a small block of flats. It wasn't that far away, but it looked solid and would perhaps give them somewhere to hide. There seemed to be less damage in this part of the city. Maybe it had food. Maybe they'd find somewhere to sleep. Roy heard a sickening crunch behind him. He turned to see Carl behead another zombie that had snuck out of the park. Its decapitated body fell on the road, lifeless. Roy still wasn't used to seeing it and he recoiled in horror.

"I'll hold them off, you find somewhere to hide. Get Ace out of here before he gets us into trouble," Carl said, kicking the body aside as he watched the progress of the zombies across the bridge.

Roy ran to him, not prepared to be left alone. He tugged on his arm, trying to get him to follow. "Come on, we need you. I don't want to leave you here to get eaten."

Carl shoved him aside. "Get in there now. There's no time to discuss this. I'll come and find you, okay?"

They took the first door they found, taking the fact that it was not only unlocked by also not damaged as a good sign. The house, however, appeared to be empty. Roy bolted the door shut, just in case. He was sure the zombies would have seen them enter. If Carl failed to stop them, they would be dead.

* * *

_Behind the Old Keep, Cardiff Castle, Cardiff_  
Trevor was as surprised as anyone to find himself still alive. His mind was groggy, and he knew he was covered in mud, but he was alive, which was more than he could say for the corpses beside him. He squinted and gazed above him, trying to work out where he was. Mottled sunlight. Maybe he was in the park. Then there was a sharp pain across his side and he cried out as someone jumped down beside him, kneeling in the mud beside him.

"Ahh, so you are still alive. I was about to write you off as one of the dead. Might've cut yer head off as well. How'd you end up here anyway?"

Trevor struggled to sit up, the drying mud reluctant to let go of its prize. He wasn't sure he cared who had found him, just as long as he was safe. He thought the voice sounded familiar even if he couldn’t place it. "Oi, mate, gis a hand, will you?"

Trevor grasped the offered hand and he was pulled to his feet. The mud made a sucking noise as he pulled free, and Trevor almost fell over again. Leaving the mud behind, they headed for the grass and Trevor was finally able to see who'd rescued him. There was his best mate Noel, looking as beaten up as he did. He brought him into a hug and got him rightly covered in mud. Of all the people-

"Man, is it good to see you. I wasn't sure I'd see anyone I knew after last night. Man, that was mental. What happened? I can't even remember much past the crowds trying to escape," Trevor said.

"You didn't miss much. Just hordes of zombies killing everyone they could lay their hands on. Cardiff's in ruins. You're lucky to be alive. Most didn't make it," Noel replied, slinging an arm around his shoulder as he led him from the castle.

Trevor winced a little as he began walking. Aches and pains began to come to light now that he was up and moving. His left leg hurt. His back was weirdly sore. His side ached from where Noel had hit him. There was some sort of tightness in his chest. He wasn't sure exactly how badly injured he was, but he was able to walk, so clearly he wasn’t about to die any time soon.

"Where we going?" Trevor asked as they walked past the ruined stage to the castle gates.

Noel shrugged. "No idea. Been on me own all night. I was hiding in the Keep. Found an axe there. Killed a few zombies. No idea where anyone else is. Figured it sounded safe enough to come out and that's when I found you."

“So Jimi- Jimi didn’t-”

Noel shrugged and tried not to look too depressed. “I dunno, mate. I dunno. We got separated. I ain’t seen him since. Maybe he managed to escape.”

“Yeah, maybe he did,” Trevor replied, though he hardly sounded convinced by his own words. They pushed past the broken gates and out to the road. “So where do we go now?”

Looking down the street both ways offered no advice. To their left, carnage and destruction. To their right, a tree was blocking the bridge. The buildings across the road were trashed and burnt. There was no sound. Not even bird song punctuated the eerie silence until a low clap of thunder and a streak of lightning. The clouds were growing darker and light faded.

"Ahh, let's go that way. I'd rather not head into town. The sooner we're out of here the better," Noel said, deciding on the bridge and the tree blocking its path.

A chill ran down Trevor’s spine. "I'm with you on that one. Let's get out of here."

* * *

_Coldstream Terrace, Riverside, Cardiff_  
Bev set Ace down on the sofa in the front room and went to see if there was anything worth scavenging in the kitchen. Roy kept an eye on the door, and the windows, still unsure they weren't alone, as Bev looked around. It was still too quiet and Roy was sure he would not relax until Carl was back with them.

"Don't know why you're bothering. Not like there's any power. It'll all be useless," Roy said as he glanced over at them. He’d tried the light switches before but found they didn’t work.

"Ahh, you never know that. Might find something we can eat. Fuck, aren't you starving? I sure as shit am," Bev said.

The fridge contained quite a lot of food, and from the still-cool air that greeted them, hadn't been opened since the power went out. It might still be edible. Extracting some beer, milk, and what looked like leftover casserole, Bev shut the fridge and went to see if there was anything else around.

Roy kept looking out the window, expecting to see Carl run past before being eaten alive. A shiver ran up his spine as thought about it. He still had his guitar with him, but he dared not play it even if it would still sound good. He didn't want to advertise their position. Ace sat curled into the couch, head buried in his arms. He hadn’t moved or spoken at all. Roy had no idea what to do with him. Maybe he'd really gone properly mad this time.

Leaving Bev in the kitchen, Roy braved going to the window to get a better view of the street. Gazing back down the way they'd come, he saw Carl and another couple of people running after him. There didn't appear to be any zombies behind them, but it wasn't the greatest angle and Roy couldn't see much of the bridge. But Carl was a good sign. He hadn't been eaten by zombies. He'd better go let him know where they were.

"Shit, Carl, I better go let him in."

Roy dashed off to the front door, unbolting it. Roy risked waving to him as Carl ran towards him.

Running up to the step, Carl greeting him with a smile. "See, told you I'd be back. You gonna let me-"

"Oi, Charlie, you gonna let us in too? Thanks for killing them zombies for us. Never thought we'd get past ‘em," Trevor called as he ran up to the door, Noel close behind.

"Trevor! We weren't sure you'd made it. Come in, come in, the more the merrier," Carl said, ushering them inside. He giving the bridge one final look before shutting the door behind them.

Roy showed them to the front room and Trevor was at Ace’s side almost immediately. After some hesitation, Ace did look at him and Trevor smiled as Ace wiped mud from his face, tears spilling down his cheeks. Trevor pressed a kiss to his forehead and held him close, glad to be with him again.

Roy sunk in beside Carl, who held him close. Noel sat down on one of the sofas. Ace was whispering to Trevor. Roy couldn’t help glancing out the window, just to see if any danger was coming. He could see the sky darkening and rain beginning to fall.

Bev emerged with a tray of food and some drinks just as there was a flash of red, a clap of thunder, and the windows shaking from the noise. Everyone froze and listened for anything that might sound suspicious. The wind howled down the river, overturning the last boat that was moored there.

“Let’s just settle down, away from the window, and eat while we can. Who knows how long this will go on for?” Bev said nervously, setting the tray down on the carpet. "Oh, Trevor! You made it after all. Ace thought you'd been eaten. Good to see you too, Noel. Bloody terrible out there, isn't it?"

"You don't know the half of it, Bev. At least all of you survived," Noel said as he went over to get some food.

The prospect of food drew even Ace away from the sofa, and they huddled around the tray, eating what they could. It wasn't a very filling meal, there hadn't been a lot of food, but Bev had done his best. He didn't want to use up everything just yet in case they were stuck here for a while. No one spoke.

“One of us watches at a time. We should be prepared,” Carl said once he'd finished. He took a stool from the kitchen and sat just out of sight of the front window. It gave him a narrow view of the window but mostly concealed him from anyone who might've been staggering down the street.

Roy wanted to protest, but held his tongue. He sat down beside Bev and started eating. He really was starving now that he had food before him. He wanted to eat it all, but he knew that would be silly. Ace curled into Trevor’s embrace, content if still silent.

Roy tried to ignore the tapping he could hear coming from the backyard. They were totally alone. No way could zombies find them.

_Tap… tap… tap…_

A clap of thunder tore through the silence, shocking everyone. The subsequent flash of lightning showed the street outside. Ace screamed and ran away, hiding under the stairs, Trevor and Noel followed, trying to calm him down.

Carl couldn’t see the river anymore. The street was filled with zombies, slowly shuffling along. There were so many of them, and they filled the width of the street. They seemed to be going somewhere, all shuffling along together, though where they were heading no one knew. All Carl knew was that things were not over, not by a long shot.

Another flash of lightning lit up one of the zombies as it turned and appeared to look straight at Carl. He inhaled sharply, thinking he recognised the face amongst the crowds, but a second later, it was gone. From his vantage point, Carl clutched the axe tightly til his knuckles were white. He could hear the tapping as well.

_Tap… tap… tap… tap…_

Carl cringed at the pain in his arm. He hadn’t mentioned the wound to the others. He didn’t think they needed to know. He could feel the creature rising within him. It was calling. He wondered if he was strong enough to resist it and save his friends before it was too late. He was just as dangerous as the zombies outside.


	3. Night Of Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a storm raging outside and zombies marching past as if they were an undead army on parade, there’s nothing to do but huddle in the darkness and try to survive. But Carl and Bev are hiding a secret that could be a blessing or a curse.

_November 24th, 1967, Coldstream Terrace, Riverside, Cardiff_  
For hours, nothing happened. The zombies lurched down the street, as if hypnotised by something. There was no further destruction, and they even passed a few survivors by, leaving them in the rain as they fled in fear. Something was commanding the zombies, that much was clear, but no one knew what. Day soon gave way to night, and the darkness seemed even more oppressive than it had before. There was nothing to lighten the dark heavy clouds and the storm was still raging outside, with flashes of lightning the only way they knew there were still zombies about, shuffling eerily down the street.

Carl still kept watch. He’d told everyone to try and get some rest. They’d need it if they were going to get out of here alive. Really, he just wanted them far away from him in case he changed. He gazed at the wound on his arm again, seeing the dark scratches he’d got when he was 16 that had changed everything. He didn’t want to admit how scared he was that he might be forced to transform. Who knew how long he could control the wolf in such an apocalyptic situation?

“The wolf’s calling again, isn’t it? You can feel it too?” Bev said quietly, coming up behind him.

“Yeah. It’s not even close to a full moon either. I don’t know if it’s because of whatever’s controlling the zombies, or if it’s for some other reason. I’ve never been able to transform at any other time than at the full moon so clearly this is something different,” Carl murmured.

“I can feel it too. It’s scary. What if we end up killing them? How can we protect them when we’ve become the enemy? And don’t even get me started on Ace. That’ll wreck his head to see us like that, but we can’t leave them, can we? They’ll be defenceless,” Bev said.

Carl thought for a moment. “Do you think the wolf would listen to us if we told him he had a pack to look after? He’s responded to that before, when you were wounded that one time in Cornwall and I had to keep you safe.”

“Oh, that was you? I wondered how I’d managed to get out of that alive,” Bev said.

“Who else would it have been? That was the one town where I never smelt any werewolves,” Carl said. “Besides, if we don’t protect them, no one will, and I don’t want that on my conscience.”

Bev looked sceptical. “How do we do that then? The wolf isn’t always that obedient.”

“We’ll just have to make it obedient, and having his strength will help us protect them. You really think they can survive on their own? Not with Roy and Ace around, and I don’t fancy leaving them behind either,” Carl said.

“Alright, so how to we break it to them that we’ve been werewolves for years now and that we’re about to transform in a bid to protect them that we’re not sure is actually going to work?” Bev said.

“You’re werewolves? Really? You don’t look like werewolves to me.”

They were interrupted by Ace’s soft voice as he approached them. He still looked frail, but at least he was up and talking. That was progress. He stared at them both, searching for answers.

Carl showed him the scratch on his arm. “Yeah, I’m a werewolf. I believe Bev was the one who scratched me, am I right?”

Bev pulled his shirt off to reveal the same kind of scratches across the back of his shoulder. “Yeah, I reckon it was. Don’t ask me who sired me. I have no idea. I was seven at the time, and I never saw the bastard again.”

Ace ran his fingers across Bev’s wounds, trying to imagine what it would be like to feel that kind of pain. “Does it hurt?”

“Transforming always hurts, but you get used to it,” Carl said.

“It’s not even a full moon, though. Aren’t you only supposed to transform at the full moon?” Ace said.

“Who knows, mate? But something’s up. We can feel it stirring. We’ll transform at some point, though. Why? Don’t ask me. I didn’t start this shit,” Carl said.

“Maybe it’s because of the zombies,” Ace said, not sure he wanted to believe that either, though it was the only explanation that could make any sense.

“We’re going to try and protect you though. We think we can convince the wolves to protect you as their pack. You do this long enough and you learn how to control it enough to keep you safe. Getting it to protect a pack, as alpha male, may just work,” Carl said.

“Oh, so you get to be alpha male then? What does that make me? My wolf may not like that. Mine's older than yours,” Bev said, a hint of teasing in his voice.

“No, you get to be my mate, that’s what, and I’ll assert my dominance if I have to,” Carl said. “Don’t worry, Ace, it’s just how wolves are. They need a pack and a hierarchy.”

“So we’re your pack now? What happens when you transform?” Ace said.

“We’ve got this small window of time where we can talk directly to the wolf before it takes over. We’ll try to convince it to look after you as its pack then. This is an extraordinary time to change, so I hope it realises that too,” Carl said.

“I think they will. I can feel her inside me now. She’s terrified of what’s happening out there,” Bev said.

“You can feel her already? Maybe you’ll change first then,” Carl said.

“I don’t know. She’s scared for you, though. She’s sure she can keep a sane head, but she’s worried about you,” Bev said, interpreting the emotional messages he’d been getting from the wolf inside him. “She’s present in a way I’ve never felt before. She’s listening to what we’re saying so she’s aware of the situation. She’s a smart girl, I’ve always said that.”

Carl could feel it too, now that Bev had mentioned it. That primeval stirring inside him, that animalistic wolf, was beginning to emerge, but it was cautious, scared, and it didn’t know what to do or why it was being called.

“This isn’t of their doing. They didn’t ask to be called. Something is making them come out, but they don’t know what. Apparently there are other wolves out there too,” Carl said.

“In a place like this? Yeah, I’d expect a few werewolves around the traps. Will he listen to you if you tell him what to do?” Bev said.

“I think he might. He’s scared, just like yours, and he’s not sure what to do. This isn’t normal and it’s not his decision, so he doesn’t know what to do. I think if I tell him to protect them as his pack, it’ll keep him focussed, give him something to do,” Carl said.

Bev doubled over then, feeling the first pangs of transformation. “Oh, god, she’s coming. Ace, get out of here, just while we change, please. You don’t want to see this.”

Ace took the hint and fled back behind the doorframe, pinning his hands over his ears to stop him hearing their cries of pain. He scrunched his eyes up and waited, hoping things would be okay.

Carl doubled over as well, falling to his knees on the floor as it began. They barely had enough time to undress before it was too late. The wolves had come and they cried out in pain as they transformed.

Once it became quiet, Ace went to check on them. He saw them standing there, covered in messy brown fur with long tails and sharp claws, a strange mix of human and wolf. They appeared to be bipedal, but looked like they could run on all fours if they needed to. Their paws weren't like proper wolf paws, but neither were they much like human hands either.

Carl snarled as Ace approached, but Bev nipped at him, stopping him. Carl let him approach and Ace held him gently. As soon as he touched him, he could hear another voice in his head. It didn’t exactly sound like Carl, but it was close enough.

“Shh, it’ll be okay. You’re a big bad scary werewolf. Nothing can touch you,” Ace whispered, trying to calm him. He could feel how scared the wolf was, and he wanted to calm him down.

Carl whined a little and he lay down, confused and scared. Ace sat beside him, gently stroking his head as if he was petting a dog. Bev lay down beside him, wondering what would happen next.

It was then that they all noticed that the ominous tapping had stopped.

Alert to any sign of danger, the two werewolves got to their feet in anticipation, shielding Ace from harm. Trevor, Noel and Roy had been woken by the werewolves’ cries and weren’t sure what on earth was going on, now that they were confronted with zombies outside and two werewolves inside.

There was another clap of thunder, and when they looked at the front window, there were zombies pressed against the glass, trying to push their way in. They'd been noticed at last, and they weren't safe anymore.

“I think we’d better get out of here,” Roy suggested, reaching for his guitar.

“The werewolves want you to run. They’ll hold them back. Find somewhere safe and wait for them,” Ace said, speaking for them as he heard their voices in his head.

Roy hadn’t noticed the werewolves til then, but faced with zombies who wanted to eat his brains and a pair of werewolves who seemed to want to protect them, well, he was going to listen to the goddamn werewolves.

“Find some weapons and let’s get out of here then,” Trevor said as he headed back towards the kitchen, looking for anything that might be useful.

“Right on it, Trev,” Noel said, keeping on eye on the window as he looked around for some sort of weapon.

Ace didn’t want to leave the two werewolves, but they urged him to leave, knowing he wouldn’t be safer with them while they were fighting off zombies. Taking his own weapon, an old broom handle, he fled with the others out the back. They made their way to the narrow alleyway running beside the set of houses, jumping the gate to get there.

When they got to another street, they hid in the first house they could get into and huddled in the darkness again, waiting for the two werewolves to return, hoping they would not be found. The storm raged around them, and no one could relax. No one could discount the possibility that zombies had seen them leave, and that they'd be followed there too. Roy tried not to think about any of that as he sat there, clutching his guitar tightly.

Ace sat between Trevor and Noel, muttering quietly to himself. Their presence calmed him to a point, but he still had all sorts of madness in his head. He wasn't sure how to account for the reality before him. At least he was completely certain it wasn't just a mad delusion. Everyone else could see those zombies too. For once, he wasn't completely mad. But that was as close as he could get to sanity. Noel had offered him some acid, but Ace wasn't sure that would actually make things better. Acid couldn't make real things disappear. It couldn't make all those zombies go away. He took it anyway, deciding even a bad trip couldn't be as bad as what was currently happening outside. He grabbed onto Trevor's arm, begging him to make things better as he stared at the wall opposite him.

* * *

_November 25th, 1967, Green Street, Riverside, Cardiff_  
It was dawn now, and the streets seemed calmer. It was, however, a bit of a shock to wake up to find two werewolves curled up around Ace, sleeping peacefully. Trevor had woken to find Noel sleeping beside him instead of Ace. Worried he might've wandered off and got himself killed, he had found Ace in the dining room, the two wolves curled around him. There was a moment when Trevor didn’t know whether to go wallop the wolves or stay away. Instead, he went to wake the others.

Roy wasn’t as scared as he thought he might be, but when you’d already escaped zombies, werewolves didn’t seem like such a big shock, especially when they just appeared to be resting. Noel kept back, ready to attack the wolves if necessary.

“It’s okay, it’s just Carl and Bev. They’re going to protect us, aren’t you?” Ace said, indicating to the others which werewolf was which.

Stirring from their slumber, the wolves yawned and looked at the humans before them. Carl was a bit frightened at being so cornered, and he got to his feet, growling at them. Bev snapped at him. Ace grabbed him and held him back, whispering comforting words to him.

“Carl-Carl said…” The wolf tried to speak, but it was uncertain of the words, having never had a need to speak to humans before.

Ace stroked his neck gently. “Want me to speak for you? I can hear your voices, you know, in me head an’ all.”

The wolf nodded and nuzzled him gently, glad the boy could hear him. He still didn’t particularly want to trust humans, but he trusted Carl, and Carl said these people were his pack, so perhaps he should not attack them just yet. He had never had to fight off those disturbing creatures before either. Those shuffling bloody humans who had attacked the other house. He hadn't thought anything could frighten him that badly, but it had. Carl had called them zombies. The wolf never wanted to see them again.

“Man, why would you trust them? They’re werewolves. We should leave them behind and make a run for it,” Noel said, not appreciating the idea of having to kill werewolves too. Werewolves looked a lot harder to kill than zombies.

“No. They’re our friends. Carl’s going to protect us. We’re his pack now,” Ace said, hearing the wolf’s voice again.

“Carl – he is not a mature wolf. He scares easily and needs someone to keep him in check. But he speaks true. You are our pack and we will protect you, just like we did last night,” Bev said, sounding a little more confident about speaking. His voice was ever so slightly feminine sounding, but Bev didn’t mind.

“Alright then. What do we do now? I dunno about you, but I wouldn’t mind getting out of here as quickly as possible. I ain’t staying here any longer than necessary,” Trevor said.

“We should find some more food though. I’m starving,” Roy said. “We’ll look around here, but maybe we should check some of the other houses too, just in case. You never know when we might need it.”

“Alright, leave it to us. We’ll get us some food, and mind you don’t attack anyone or I’ll be forced to hurt you,” Trevor said, leading Noel towards the front door as he shot the werewolves a look.

“Don’t threaten him, he’s just as scared as you are,” Ace warned him.

“He’s a werewolf. If he attacks, he gets it. He’s not Carl anymore,” Trevor said, giving the werewolves a warning glare as he left. “And for the record, I’m not scared.”

Carl wanted to lash out at him, but Ace calmed him and he flopped down on the floor again, unsure what he was supposed to be doing. Bev lay beside him, and he groomed him, asserting his dominance. Ace gave them some space and took Roy into the kitchen to see if there was anything left to scavenge.

* * *

“What are we going to do, Roy? Can we really just keep running? Where are we going to go? How do we know the whole country hasn’t been overrun by those zombies? Maybe we should stay here instead,” Ace said as he watched Roy searching the pantry for food.

Roy turned to look at him. “We can’t stay here, you know that. We’re going to have to go sooner or later. It’s not like there’s enough food here for us anyway. We’re going to have to leave. Just be thankful the zombies have stopped marching down the street. If we head back into town, we might find some food in one of the supermarkets. Might even find a car that works. Who knows? But we have to leave, zombies or not. Are you sure we can trust those werewolves though?”

“They're still Carl and Bev, you know. Trust them. They’ll protect us. Don’t worry about them. Worry about those zombies who do seem to want to kill us,” Ace said.

“How do you know that? Maybe they’re just pretending to be them and when we’re not looking, they’ll attack us,” Roy said.

“Because it’s not a full moon, Roy. I talked to them before they changed. They didn’t want to transform, they weren’t supposed to transform, but something forced them to, so we’re stuck with two werewolves for the time being. Might as well use their strength while we’ve got them. They did protect us last night, you know. They told us to run, and they stayed to kill those zombies. I daresay if we’d been at it on our own, we’d never have survived. Do give them some credit,” Ace said.

Roy had to admit that was a distinct bonus. He was quite sure his guitar would never be the same even if he did get it tuned and working again. He didn’t have a reply for him either. Maybe the only thing they could do was trust the werewolves and let them protect them while they escaped. What other options did they have?

Roy turned back to the pantry. There really wasn’t much left. This house wasn’t as well-stocked as the last one, and without power, the perishables probably weren’t worth stealing. He did, however, find some cans of baked beans. They didn’t look wholly appetising, and the can opener in the drawer wasn’t really up to the task, but they might be worth having for later.

Ace had found a wooden crate hiding in one of the cupboards and set it on the bench, packing whatever food they could find in it. Trevor and Noel soon returned and added some more food to the crate, filling it with some bread, some more canned food, and some fruit that was still good. It wasn’t the best collection of food ever, but it would do.

Leaving the rest for their journey home, Roy and Ace prepared some breakfast for the others. With only four of them to feed, there was more to spare, and Trevor had even found some still-good chunks of meat for the werewolves, who were happily tearing them to pieces nearby. Sitting up at the dining table, they ate in relative silence. No one felt up to trying to pretend nothing was wrong. Everything was wrong. No one knew if the zombies had moved on to other towns or just stayed around Cardiff. Their journey home may be more dangerous than they’d like.

“I ‘spose we’d better find a map, hey? I can’t remember how to get out of here,” Trevor said.

“We’d better head back into town then. That’s where all the shops are. Here’s hoping there aren’t any zombies this time,” Ace said.

“How’d you pay enough attention to know that?” Roy said.

“I ain’t daft, Roy. I’ve got eyes, you know,” Ace said. “Besides, there’s nothing but houses down this end of town.”

“Must have bloody good eyes then,” Trevor said.

“No, I visited me gran up here once. She moved here ages ago. God knows why. Miserable bloody place,” Ace said.

“Know your way around then?” Trevor said.

“Well enough to get us out of here. Just find me a car and I’ll do the rest,” Ace said confidently.

* * *

_Castle Street Bridge, Cardiff_  
Ace and the werewolves waited by the bridge while the others scouted around for a working car. They were guarding their food supplies, which they’d added to by ransacking a few other houses on the street. There was no one else around. They assumed everyone had either fled or had been killed.

The whole city was in ruins, but at least there were no sign of any zombies. The air was considerably still and quiet and the sky had cleared up leaving only soft wispy clouds behind. Hell, the sun was even out, shining down on them as it tried to warm them up after the horrific storm. The river below was littered with debris, broken cars, branches, boats, and anything else the wind had blown there. A few more trees in the park had been uprooted, and there were a few more bodies littering the ground.

Ace wasn’t sure exactly how much of the past two days he remembered. Sometimes, he thought his memories were crystal clear; other times, he wondered if he hadn’t been tripping for two days and hadn’t really noticed. But then he just had to see the destruction around the place to know it was all real.

He remembered Bev talking to him that first night, just constant talking, trying to keep him sane. Strangely, it had worked. Ace wasn’t sure how, but it had eventually got through to him. Trevor had also helped; no one knew how to calm him like Trev did, and that had finally got him over his shock. He would be okay, somehow. He had survived a zombie apocalypse. Things could only get better from there.

It was Roy who drove up in a red van half an hour later. He’d picked up the others on the way and refuelled the van, just to make sure they didn’t run out halfway out of Cardiff. Who knew what’d be left when they got out there?

“Didn’t you say you were driving, Ace?” Roy said as he drove up.

“I can drive if you want. ‘Ere, what are we doing about them two then?” Ace said, gesturing to the two werewolves standing beside him.

“We’ll scout ahead. We’ll be more use to you out there than stuck in a van. We’ll warn for danger,” Bev said.

“Alright then, we’re heading for the A48. See if you can’t follow us out. Head north east, that’ll get you there, and if you’re lost, head to St Mellons and we’ll catch up there,” Ace said as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

Bev made sure Carl understood the message, and they headed off into town. Roy clambered into the back just as Ace spurred the engine and drove off, heading off down Castle Street as they began their long journey home.


End file.
